Can You Really Dry Out Your Drowned Phone with YouTube Hacks?

The Buzzing Mystery: Can YouTube Videos Really Save Your Wet Phone?

For years, a peculiar video has been circulating online, attracting millions of views and a dedicated community of grateful users. This isn’t a viral dance craze or an adorable animal clip, but rather a two-minute, six-second clip featuring a low, pulsating buzz overlaid on a hypnotic, swirling animation. The video’s title? "Sound To Remove Water From Phone Speaker ( GUARANTEED )." And its audience? A legion of people who, for one reason or another, have gotten their phones wet.

The comments section, aptly dubbed "the community" by its members, is filled with accounts of near-drowning devices. "Walked through a river with the phone in my pocket," confesses one commenter. "Yeah the steam from the shower is the reason I’m here," says another. You’ll even find repeat offenders: "We are back once again, the 3rd time this month." "It’s been 3 weeks and I’m back again."

The allure of this seemingly simple solution is undeniable. If these videos really work, the endless cycle of rice-stuffed phone-traumas could be a relic of the past. But is the internet’s collective faith in this buzz justified?

To unravel this mystery, delving into the science behind it is necessary. The theory behind these videos revolves around acoustic pressure – the force exerted by sound waves. Speakers, by their very nature, create air pressure fluctuations, and these fluctuations can potentially dislodge liquid droplets trapped within their crevices.

"The lowest tone that that speaker can reproduce, at the loudest level that it can play, will create the most air motion, which will push on the water that’s trapped inside the phone," explains Eric Freeman, a senior director of research at Bose. While phone speakers are relatively small, they can still produce a low enough frequency to generate this effect.

Perhaps the best real-world demonstration of this principle is the Apple Watch, which features a designated water expulsion function. This feature utilizes a specific oscillating tone to push water out of the device’s speaker grilles.

So, while the theory makes sense, whether it translates to everyday smartphones is another question entirely. To find out, iFixit, a prominent tech repair company, conducted a series of tests. Four phones – an iPhone 13, a Pixel 7 Pro, a Pixel 3, and a Nokia 7.1 – were submerged in a UV-reactive dye bath, marking the points of water intrusion. Each phone was then played the water-ejection video before being left overnight.

The results were mixed. The Pixel 7 Pro emerged essentially dry, while the Nokia 7.1 was deemed a lost cause. The iPhone 13 and Pixel 3 showed varying degrees of liquid damage.

While these tests weren’t scientifically controlled, they did provide some crucial insights. It seems that these videos, while not a magic bullet, can indeed have a small, but noticeable, effect. The speaker’s vibrations did successfully eject droplets from the speaker grilles, but weren’t effective at dislodging liquid trapped in other areas like buttons, USB ports, or SIM card slots.

The tests also emphasized a critical point: modern phones are more water-resistant than ever, but that doesn’t mean they’re waterproof. Even the most recent devices, like the Pixel 7 Pro, can still suffer water damage over time, especially when exposed to things like shampoo or soap, which can be more conductive than pure water.

This brings us to the crux of the matter: while these videos might offer a small advantage, they shouldn’t be considered a failsafe. They can’t guarantee a phone’s survival after a dunking, and relying on them exclusively could lead to bigger problems down the line.

Ultimately, the most effective way to prevent water damage is to keep your phone away from wet environments. However, if you find yourself in a desperate situation, those buzzing videos might just buy you some time. They won’t solve every problem, but they might just help extract a few droplets, offering a glimmer of hope for your water-damaged device.

So, join the community, bookmark those videos, and hope for the best. But remember, the best way to protect your phone is to keep it dry in the first place. The buzzing, while momentarily reassuring, isn’t a substitute for common sense.

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